Today, handheld devices, such as Smartphones and tablets, rely on sensor data (accelerometer, gyro, magnetometer, pressure, ambient light, temperature, etc.) to enhance the user experience (UX) for a whole range of applications (e.g., phone settings, games) and offer new features (e.g., always-on sensing, motion-based gestures, user activity state, pedometer, etc.) to enable new categories of applications. Besides motion sensors and other ambient sensors, applications on mobile devices also use sensor data from other sensors, such as, audio (e.g., for voice authentication), camera (e.g., for face recognition, augmented reality), always-on location (using GPS, WiFi, 3G/LTE, dead-reckoning), and the like.
The sensor data may include user sensitive, personal and private information, such as user health related information, audio information, camera pictures and video, and/or user location. This user information is not protected and/or secured, while provided to backend services, and may be downloaded and viewed by unwanted entities and/or persons. Thus, there is a need to protect and secure the user information.
Reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments illustrated, and specific language will be used herein to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the disclosure is thereby intended.